The undying love was just an excuse.
While many people claim to be traumatized by Grey’s Anatomy and the way it writes off its most beloved characters, it’s hard to deny that these tragic and sad moments are what make the show so beloved. The more emotional viewers become, the more connected they feel to the story.
The infamous plane crash storyline has been both trashed and praised by viewers and critics more times than anyone can count. While some feel that it was rushed and led to some of the worst writing decisions, others are just devastated by the two deaths that resulted from it. Mark and Lexie will forever remain the show’s most heartbreaking couple.
Why Were Mark and Lexie Killed Off?
Although Shonda Rhimes had previously made her comments about the couple dying together in a symbolic way, that is not the real reason why the show ended things the way it did. Chyler Leigh, who played Lexie Grey, left on her own to spend more time with her off-screen family.
And Eric Dane, the actor behind McSteamy, believes he was simply let go from the show. At least, that’s what he told the Armchair Expert podcast when he joined them as a guest on their latest episode. Dane also opened up about his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction at the time the show was on the air.
“I didn’t leave so much as I think I was let go…I was struggling, they didn’t let me go because of that although it definitely didn’t help. <…> I was starting to become, as most of these actors who have spent significant time on the show, you start to become very expensive for the network,” he explained.
Although Dane’s addiction was not the reason he was fired from the show, the actor is certain that the network still wanted him off the cast at that point. As his popularity grew, so did his demands. With Grey herself, Ellen Pompeo, still on board, the procedural could afford to lose even a couple of fan favorites.
According to the actor, Shonda Rhimes herself was sure to be on his side, protecting him and making his exit from the show as smooth as possible. Viewers, however, who are just now finding out the real reason why the couple that made them cry their eyes out was done dirty like that, will probably have more radical things to say.
If you are nostalgic for the golden days of Grey’s Anatomy and want to relive the love story of Lexie Grey and Mark Sloan, be sure to stream the show on Netflix or Hulu.